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TCPOS, a leading provider in the POS sector for hospitality and retail, is exhibiting for the first time a camera-based point of sale solution for canteens, at the Igeho 2017 trade fair in Basel. The automatic detection of food is modernizing the payment process at the point of sale.

In corporate catering, time is the main critical factor. A successful canteen must ensure guests short waiting times, rapid processing and an innovative environment. The Swiss POS specialist TCPOS has developed innovative cash register technology with the objective of speeding up the checkout procedure with automated processes that improve the quality of service. Using specific characteristics, the technology can detect what item is on the tray, what the price is, and add the amount to the transaction.

The intelligence of the automatic food detection – Dish Recognition – is based on a camera connected to the POS, which automatically identifies dishes and drinks, then electronically transfers the information to the existing till and billing system. Since not every article needs to be entered individually, the system accelerates the sale transaction and leads to a higher canteen throughput.

For the customer the process is simple: you select your food and drink and put them on the tray. In the checkout area, you place your tray under a webcam. The different shapes and colors help the camera to work out what the products are and calculate the price. This process is much faster than typing each product with a conventional POS system.

The chef registers the dishes and their prices into the system. In the presence of a great variety of articles, the automatic recognition makes the cashiers’ work easier because they no longer need to remember all of the available items. Thus, this system enables canteen operators to enhance their service by offering a larger variety of articles.

“At the Igeho fair, TCPOS will introduce the innovative Dish Recognition technology to the public for the first time,” says Christian Mattle, Managing Director of the TCPOS branch office in German-speaking Switzerland. “We invite interested caterers to be the first to take part in the development of this digital project. We are convinced that we are setting new standards for innovation and quality in the industry with this technology.”